Sliding closure for cabinets



Oct. 23, 1956 E. A. MILLER SLIDING CLOSURE FOR CABINETS v 2 Shgets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 25, 1954 Ms! n as a A Y INVENTOR 62;]07 (4. 44111.54?

Oct. 23, 1956 E. A. MILLER SLIDING CLOSURE FOR CABINETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 25.- 1954 INVENTOR EZLIOT r4. MIL-L543 BY KMOW ATTORNEYS United States Patent SLHJING CLOSURE FOR CABINETS Elliot A. Miller, New York, N. Y., assignor to Odora Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 25, 1954, Serial No. 405,934

3 Claims. (Cl. 160-363) This invention relates to cabinets for the storage of clothing and has particular reference to a cabinet of said character having an improved construction of closure.

The invention also comprehends a cabinet of the knockdown type which may be collapsed to flat compact formation for storage and shipment and readily expanded for use.

An object of the invention is to provide a cabinet with a sliding door or closure which is flexible in one direction to permit of the movement of the closure rearwardly beneath the top thereof and with a portion thereof depending at the rear and which is provided with means tending to maintain the closure in planar formation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cabinet of said character with an improved construction of sliding closure therefor consisting of an elongated member freely flexible in one direction which is provided with an elongated strip secured thereto longitudinally thereof and which strip is normally stiff and of bowed formation in cross-section tending to maintain the flexible closure in planar formation but permitting of the flexing thereof at longitudinally spaced locations throughout the length of said strip.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a cabinet having a front wall provided with guides for a longitudinally bendable closure consisting of an elongated sheet of single faced corrugated board slidable in said guides and which is provided with a normally rigid bowed strip secured to and extending longitudinally of the inner face of the closure and which strip tends to maintain the closure in planar formation so as to provide an effective seal in said guides while permitting of the longitudinal flexing of the corrugated strip along the entire length thereof when the closure is moved to and from closed and open relation.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, reference is now made to the following specification and accompanying drawings in which the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet provided with a sliding closure constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section view taken approximately on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken approximately on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken approximately on line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken approximately on line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a'fragmentary vertical sectional view taken approximately on line 66 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal fragmentary sectional view taken approximately on line 77 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on line 88 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken approximately on line 9-9 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken approximately on line 10-10 of Fig. 1.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the cabinet consists of a body section 10 and top and bottom sections 11 and 12 which are secured over the opposite ends of the body section 10. The body section includes a front wall 13, opposite side walls 14 and 15 and a rear wall 16. The front wall 13 includes a closure 17 which extends throughout the greater portion of the length of the front wall 13 and rearwardly beneath the top wall 11 with the inner end 18 thereof extending downwardly between the rear wall 16 and a partition 23. The body section 10 may be of rigid formation or the same may be of the collapsible type with opposite front wall portions 19 and the side and rear walls constructed of a single length of corrugated cardboard, paperboard and the like and which is foldable from flat compact arrangement to expanded relation as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The top section 11 consists of a top wall 20, opposite side flanges 21 and 22, a rear flange 24 and a rigid front strip 25 secured to a front flange 26. Fastening means 27 are provided which are engageable through openings 28 in the side and rear flanges for securing the top section on the body section. The bottom section 12 similarly includes a bottom wall 30, opposite side flanges 31 and 32, a rear flange 33, and a front wall portion 34 having side flanges 35 all of which are formed integrally with the bottom wall 30. Fastening means 27 extend through openings in the said flanges for retaining the bottom section 12 in position on the body section. The bottom section 12 is also provided with a rigid front strip 36 which is secured to the top of the front wall portion 34 thereof. The front wall 13 of the body section 10 has rigid strips 46 and 41 secured to the front wall portions 19 thereof in spaced relation to provide a door opening 42 extending longitudinally between the front strips 25 and 36. The rigid strips 40 and 41 are formed with longitudinally extending channels or grooves 43 in which the forward portion of the closure is longitudinally slidable to and from closed and open relation. The strips 40 and 41 are rabbeted at their ends as at 44 and the front strips 25 and 36 are grooved to receive the rabbeted portions 44 and screws 45 extend through aligned openings in the front strips and the rabbeted ends of said side strips and through the front wall portions 19 for securing the front wall 13 in setup formation.

The closure 17 may be formed of a sheet of single faced corrugated board with the corrugations disposed outwardly and extending transversely thereof and which is backed by a sheet 47 of a flexible material which flexes and bends between adjacent corrugations to render the closure readily flexible and bendable longitudinally thereof whereby the closure will bend between the front strip 25 and a cross strip 48 and the rear portion of the closure will bend ddwnwardly after passing the cross bar 49 and will enter the recess 50 formed between the par tition 23 and the rear wall 16. In order to maintain the forward portion of the closure in planar formation when in closed relation whereby the same may be readily moved upwardly and downwardly in the guide grooves 43, an elongated strip 51 is provided which is secured to the inside face of the closure to extend longitudinally thereof throughout its entire length. The said strip is fashioned of thin metal, hardwood, or of thermoplastic material and the like and the same is relatively stiff longitudinally and is of bowed or arcuate formation in crosssection whereby it will bend longitudinally at any location along the length thereof. The strip 51 is secured to the closure 17 medially thereof by screws 52 or equivalent fastening means with the side edge portions 53 and 54 of said strip being free to flex and bend and to flatten transversely when the same is bent.

The strip 51 being bendable laterally from the bowed or arcuate formation to flattened or straight condition permits of the bending of the strip laterally as the closure is moved over the cross bar 48 in opening and closing the same. Thus, the strip 51 functions to maintain the portion of the closure 17 in the grooves 43 in substantially stiff planar formation to thereby render the closure readily slidable in the grooves in opening and closing the same.

While the preferred form of the invention is illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that the same is not so limited but is intended to cover and include all modifications and forms thereof which fall within the purview of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A slideable closure including a longitudinally bendable closure member slidably mounted in guide means for movement fromone planar position through a bend in said guide means into another planar position, said closure member being relatively Stiff transversely thereof to resist bending, a narrow spring strip of arcuate formation in cross-section extending longitudinally of and secured to the inside face of said closure substantially medial thereof, and said spring strip being free to flex and flatten transversely with the movement of the closure through said bend and functioning to maintain said closure in stiff planar formation except in the region of said bend and to facilitate movement thereof.

2. A slideable closure including a closure member bendable throughout its extent in one direction and mounted in guide means for movement from one position through a bend in said guide means to dispose a portion thereof in another position, said member being stiff throughout its extent in a direction at right angles to said one direction, a narrow spring strip of arcuate formation in crosssection secured one face of said closure substantially medial thereof and in a direction to resist bending of said closure, and said spring strip being free to flex and flatten transversely with the movement of the closure through said bend and functioning to maintain said closure in sti'- for;- ation except in the region of said bend.

3. A slideable closure including a longitudinally bendable corrugated member arranged with the corrugations thereof extending transversely and mounted in guide means for movement from one position through a bend in said guide means to dispose a portion thereof in another position, a narrow thin medial strip of arcuate formation in cross-section extending longitudinally of said closure and secured to the inside face thereof, said spring strip being free to flex and flatten transversely at the location where the closure moves through said bend and functioning to maintain said closure in stifl formation except in the region of said bend and to facilitate movement thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 144,025 Heymann Oct. 28, 1873 255,848 Garey Apr. 4, 1882 2,070,924 Derman Feb. 16, 1937 2,153,545 Blechman Apr. 11, 1939 

